Too Scared To Scream
by sylviarockefeller
Summary: Sylvia Rockefeller is beyond terrified. She is alone on the Vengeance with Khan, and he is dead set on destroying Starfleet Headquarters with the ship. In what could be her final moments of life, she sees a small amount of kindness in her cruel captor. KhanxOC oneshot OOC Khan


When I again woke, I found that I was lying on the floor of the Vengeance, Khan's ship. After I had gone unconscious, he had merely left me where I was, so close to the door. I turned my head slowly and sat up, my back against one of the consoles. I looked around the dark interior of the bridge, vaguely reading off some of the information that flashed on the screens, though with my head still aching, it was difficult to focus for more than a few seconds.

I groaned and rested my head against the console. I turned my head slightly and stared at the door, which was only perhaps two feet away. I thought of carefully moving towards the door, but I knew Khan was nearby, so trying to get away again would be absolutely useless. He would only catch me again and at the very least knock me out again, if not simply kill me instead.

Khan, who had again returned to the captain's chair, turned and looked back at me. "Any attempt to escape would be futile," he reminded. "Your captain and his crew will be dead momentarily. You might as well wait and watch."

"Why?" I rasped, coughing and clearing my throat. My mouth was abnormally dry at the moment. For once I had no fear of death, and I wasn't afraid of confronting him. Death would be inevitable, and at this point, likely to in the near future. "Why are you doing this?" I demanded, knowing full well that Khan would most likely give no answer.

Khan glanced at me, his eyes looking over my body with a lingering gaze, which succeeding in sending involuntary shivers down my spine. He paused for a moment as he looked into my eyes, his lips parting ever so slightly. "I-" he was cut off from speaking by the jolting force of an explosion from within the ship.

Both of us were thrown forwards, me tumbling down the few steps and managing to catch myself by reaching for and clinging to the base of the captain's chair. Khan had been jolted out of the chair and stumbled forward, catching himself on the row of consoles before him.

"NOOO!" he cried, his loud voice reverberating throughout the bridge and causing me to bow my head and cringe in fear.

The ship jolted again and again as each of the seventy-two torpedoes in the hold were triggered, taking down the whole weapons system of the ship.

"My crew…" I heard Khan say ever so softly as he stared vacantly at the ground.

I pulled myself up and braced myself against the chair. With the explosions, I knew there would be no way to escape the Vengeance or Khan. I was well and truly trapped, and it would not be long before the ship was caught in the gravitational pull of earth.

My attention was pulled to watching the Enterprise fall towards earth, my eyes wide in fear. The central power must have failed due to the attacks from the Vengeance. I knew that the ship I was on was soon to follow in suit.

"Khan!" I cried as the ship jerked again. I clung to the chair and held as tightly as I could.

Khan gave no rely, not even glancing my way or acknowledging that I even existed. He was still. I wondered if maybe he hadn't heard me, but that was unlikely. As much as I hated him with all of my being, I needed him if I wanted to survive.  
"KHAN!" I screamed as loud as I could, which did no favors to my voice as it was already raw. I immediately felt the pain sear up my throat but did my best to ignore it as my eyes were focus on the tall, thin man before me.

At least Khan heard me. He lifted his head slowly and turned back to me silently.

I hesitated as I looked into his eyes. For the first time since Kirk had first brought him aboard the Enterprise, I saw emotion in his eyes – loss, fatigue, anger, regret. This man may have been ruthless, but he was not heartless…not to those he had once loved.

I took a hesitant step closer to him as the floor beneath me was hardly a stable place to walk. "We have to get out of here," I pleaded to him desperately, grabbing his arm more for support than to be near him.

At my touch, Khan seemed to snap back to his normal self. The emotion in his eyes disappeared as his clarity of thought returned, though I could see the look of rage and revenge still in his eyes. "We can't," he replied in a tone void of emotion.

I knew my eyes would betray my fear if I held his gaze, but for the moment that wasn't a major concern of mine. "What can we do then?" I asked desperately.

Khan checked the monitors before looking out and seeing the earth so close. The ship had already been caught in the gravitational pull; though with the size of the ship it was being dragged at a much slower rate than the Enterprise had been dragged. Regardless, the outcome would be the same unless something could be done.

Khan looked back to me calmly. "We're going to crash," he said, a certain pleasure in his voice.

"What?" I gasped, even the thought of such a thing made me more terrified than I had ever been. "That's insane!"

Khan shook his head. "To you, perhaps," he replied. "But despite the irreparable damage the ship would sustain, our location gives us a much higher chance of survival."

"Chance," I repeated. "Only a chance. We could still very well die!"

Khan stared at me and gave a very frustrated sigh. "Death is inevitable, dear," he replied uncaringly. "But if you do as I say, you may live to tell this tale."

I didn't want to agree. I didn't want to trust him. This was Khan! He had killed countless members of Star Fleet, including Pike and most likely everyone aboard the Enterprise. Unless they could somehow get the central power back up, they were dead men walking…well falling in this case. But I didn't want to die, and Khan was confident. I gave a shaky nod as I again met his steely gaze. "Alright," I replied softly. "What must I do?"

"Nothing," Khan said swiftly as he turned away from me and back towards the console. "Find something to hold onto, preferably on the ground or you'll be tossed about."

I nodded and stepped back, again grabbing hold of the captain's chair and crouching down, holding onto the base of it with all my strength as I ducked my head and closed my eyes. I felt the ship turn as it plummeted towards earth. It would only be a few minutes before the ship crashed and I would most likely die. Amid the noise from all the consoles and just the sheer clamor around me, I heard Khan go to one of the windows and look out. He ran back to the console to give a destination.

"Set destination – Star Fleet Headquarters!" Khan shouted, moving to another console.

My eyes grew wide as I quickly looked to him. Star Fleet! Khan was set on destroying the whole place! And even if the shipped crashed before they reached Star Fleet, the amount of damage that would take place would be unimaginable. I bowed my head again and closed my eyes.

"Engines compromised." The monotone system informed. "Cannot guarantee destination. Confirm order."

Khan stared out, his eyes gleaming with hateful revenge. "Confirm," he rasped as the ship's navigation set its final destination. He moved back towards me and grabbed my arm, pulling me up.

"What are you doing?" I asked, instinctively trying to pull away from him.

Khan did not reply, merely pulling me around behind the chair and crouching down. "Hold onto me," he commanded.

"What?!"

"Hold. On. To. Me." Khan replied through gritted teeth. "Unless you wish to die."

I nodded quickly and moved closer to him, unsure of how not to feel any more awkward than I already did. He was in sort of a kneeling position, his back braced against the chair. I knelt by him and slowly moved closer, but Khan was impatient and quickly slid his arm around me and pulled me close. I gasped as I was pressed up against his chest. His grip around me did not lessen as with his other arm held to the chair.

Tentatively, I slid my arms around him and locked them, holding tight to the man who had murdered so many of my comrades. At the moment though, I didn't think of that. My eyes were shut tight as I thought of my home, my family, my friends…anything but where I was.

The first impact was the most terrifying. I felt the ship hit the ground and water, as it turned completely, close to completely capsizing front first. I wanted to scream, but I was terrified into silence. I only held tighter to Khan as I felt his arm hold me closer. Despite all the noise that surrounded us, I could hear his heartbeat. It was quick, but still steady, and oddly enough I found it calming. So long as I held onto him I was safe. It was the most unusual bit of comfort I could imagine.

After many more impacts as the whole of the ship was ultimately destroyed, everything stopped. Khan's grip lessened ever so slightly as I could feel his body moving as he looked around. His breath was heavy as he gasped for air. Both of us had been holding our breath.

I dared to open my eyes and look at the carnage around me. The whole bridge had been destroyed. Every monitor and console was broken beyond repair. Sparks flew from exposed wires and cables that hung from the mutilated ceiling.

"Hold on," Khan commanded as I felt him turn his body slightly. Still keeping his arm around me, he turned to slide down. I carefully moved my arms closer towards his neck and shoulders, as it would be easier to cling to him that way verses his chest.

I felt him let go and the two of us slid down about ten or more feet towards the broken widow.

With is free hand Khan managed to grab hold of a cable and braced his feet against the edge to keep either of us from falling further. He reached for another cable and helped me get a hold of it, then made sure I was able to stand on my own. The two of us were close to a 180 degree angle as we both looked out to the city below.

It was a wonder to me that Khan could even stand, but I ultimately couldn't and wound up leaning against the tilted floor, trying not to think of all the damage that had occurred. Before me was a gap of about thirty meters to the next broken piece of the ship, which was a sheer slide down to the ground. There was no way you could ever make such a jump…but could Khan?

I turned to look at him. It appeared he was considering the option. "You're going to do it?" I asked, frightened.

Khan paused and looked at me. "Yes," he replied, nearly ready to move. "Your crew will beam you back to the Enterprise shortly. There is no need for you to attempt this."

"Wait," I said quickly, reaching for his arm and managing to take hold of his wrist.

Khan looked back to me, surprised.

"This does not mean I excuse you or forgive you for any of the things you have done, but…thank you." I said softly, daring to look into his eyes one last time.

Khan was not a man to have offered a smile, but he at least did not give me a glare. "You are a brave girl," he replied slowly, and I recalled him saying that perhaps not even twenty minutes before.

"Sylvia," I said, though why I would tell him my name was beyond me. "My name is Sylvia."

Khan gave me a questioning look, studying me carefully. But he gave a slow nod. "Be careful, Sylvia," he said, pulling his arm away from me before leaping across the great divide. I watched him hit his target and slide down, but with all the debris around me lost sight of him a second later.

I didn't want him to die. I didn't want him to get away, but I didn't want him to die. I was aware of the noises around me- alarms and monitors that still worked beeping as little lights flashed in the corners of my eyes. I sighed and closed my eyes, blocking out all the sounds as I waited.

A moment later I felt myself being beamed back to the Enterprise, to my crew, to my family. What would become of Khan was beyond my imagination, but I knew that he would survive. He was a survivor. As was I.


End file.
